Just 4 of our group met to discuss this book.
One of our 4 had been unable to get a copy of the book from the local library service and had not read it. So the other 3 of us had a lovely time recounting the story and reading short extracts to illustrate our commentary and to highlight the superb way in which Toni Morrison writes.
The story focuses on the lives of black Americans living in Ohio in the 1940's. The story of each character is told and then pieced together, with the other stories, into a haunting tale of lives in a time, and place, where prejudice and poverty led to tragedy and guilt. Indeed one of our absent members declared her own feelings of guilt for "something our own country is partly responsible for".
The characters (white, black, mixed race, poor, comfortable, rich) were all, in some way, part of the life of a young black girl, Percola, who lives in the poorest of circumstances. Despite her grim life, all Percola wants is to have blue eyes.
It is hard to say whether our discussion is really representative of our group. I came home to an email from a member of our group who said: I started but got bored, disliked the style of writing and generally felt that life was too short to persevere with a book I’m not enjoying! So, not everyone enjoyed it and I suspect some other members of our group didn't come along because it was dismal weather and the enthusiasm to discuss this book was just not there.
So, would we recommend it? I don't really know. It's quite a personal read. I think it's one to try and probably not an ideal book for group discussion.
Here's hoping for a more invigorating discussion when we all meet again after Christmas having read our next choice, and final book of the decade: Early one Morning by Virginia Baily which we will discuss at 8pm in The Hundred of Ashendon on Thursday 16th January 2020.
Friday 22 November 2019
Friday 15 November 2019
Reading Choices for the Festive Season
So, we need a good read for the Christmas period, in readiness for a nice long session at our local pub in cold and Frosty January. The choices are here.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 21st November in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and then choose our next book from the below.
"Pilgrim" is an American former intelligence agent known as the "Rider of the Blue" who later writes a book on forensic pathology. Pilgrim becomes involved in a case in New York City where a mysterious woman uses his book to commit untraceable murders in the aftermath of 9/11.
The "Saracen" is a Saudi who becomes radicalised by watching his father's beheading. He later trains as a doctor and fights in the Soviet–Afghan War. Pilgrim is recalled to the intelligence community who have detected a threat involving the Saracen, who has created a vaccine-resistant strain of the variola major virus.
Two women's decision to save a child during WWII will have powerful reverberations over the years.
Chiara Ravello is about to flee occupied Rome when she locks eyes with a woman being herded on to a truck with her family.
Claiming the woman's son, Daniele, as her own nephew, Chiara demands his return; only as the trucks depart does she realize what she has done. She is twenty-seven, with a sister who needs her constant care, a hazardous journey ahead, and now a child in her charge.
Several decades later, Chiara lives alone in Rome, a self-contained woman working as a translator. Always in the background is the shadow of Daniele, whose absence and the havoc he wrought on Chiara's world haunt her. Then she receives a phone call from a teenager claiming to be his daughter, and Chiara knows it is time to face up to the past.
When Adela Quested and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced 'Anglo-Indian' community. Determined to escape the parochial English enclave and explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects. A masterful portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India compellingly depicts the fate of individuals caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the modern world.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 21st November in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and then choose our next book from the below.
I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
The "Saracen" is a Saudi who becomes radicalised by watching his father's beheading. He later trains as a doctor and fights in the Soviet–Afghan War. Pilgrim is recalled to the intelligence community who have detected a threat involving the Saracen, who has created a vaccine-resistant strain of the variola major virus.
Early One Morning by Virginia Baily
Two women's decision to save a child during WWII will have powerful reverberations over the years.Chiara Ravello is about to flee occupied Rome when she locks eyes with a woman being herded on to a truck with her family.
Claiming the woman's son, Daniele, as her own nephew, Chiara demands his return; only as the trucks depart does she realize what she has done. She is twenty-seven, with a sister who needs her constant care, a hazardous journey ahead, and now a child in her charge.
Several decades later, Chiara lives alone in Rome, a self-contained woman working as a translator. Always in the background is the shadow of Daniele, whose absence and the havoc he wrought on Chiara's world haunt her. Then she receives a phone call from a teenager claiming to be his daughter, and Chiara knows it is time to face up to the past.
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
When Adela Quested and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, they quickly feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced 'Anglo-Indian' community. Determined to escape the parochial English enclave and explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz, a cultivated Indian Muslim. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves with Aziz, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal that rouses violent passions among both the British and their Indian subjects. A masterful portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India compellingly depicts the fate of individuals caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the modern world.
Monday 30 September 2019
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
6 of our group met to discuss this book, 3 others who could not make the meeting had sent input for the discussion.
We had a wonderful discussion exploring a book we had all enjoyed reading.
First up let's mention the introduction. It is all too easy in the excitement of a new read to skip the intro and get stuck in. For this book the introduction by Sarah Walters adds real understanding of the author and the story of Lolly Willowes. So, those who took the time to read it encouraged those who did not to give it a go.
The story was written in 1926, and of its time. Lolly is a girl growing up in a quiet household, the sister of two brothers who transitions through being an eligible young lady, a 'spinster' aunt and eventually an 'almost' independent woman/witch.
We felt sad for Lolly but also for Edwardian society that allowed women, like Lolly, who found themselves single and, therefore, in need of family support.
Lolly's situation raises so many questions: Why could Lolly not have continued to live in the family home? Why did her brothers feel it was their responsibility to take Lolly on? Why did Lolly accept that?
Society decreed that the large family home be mothballed and Lolly must leave the house and gardens she loved and move to a poky room in the London home of her brother and his family. This was the social norm, this is what families did with their single sisters. Initially the plan is to introduce the eligible lady to eligible gentlemen. When that fails the spinster sister becomes the beloved spinster aunt and takes on the role of being useful to the lady of the household and unpaid childminder to the children. This was the case even for intelligent and well educated women of independent means. Worse still, for Lolly, her independent means are managed by her brother. The situation, with its controls and lack of privacy, is cruel. Lolly doesn't forgive this cruelty but she does move on.
The writing is beautifully vivid - the reader can picture where Lolly is and what she is thinking. In our discussion we delved into the book and reminded ourselves of favourite lines such as:
"London life was very full and exciting. There were the shops, processions of the Royal Family and of the unemployed...".
"He observed gloomily that daughters could be very expensive now that so much fuss was being made about the education of women."
"Herb gathering .... too useful .... she didn't want to be a white witch."
(Of cowslips)"She knelt down among them and laid her face close to their fragrance. The weight of all her unhappy years seemed for a moment to weigh her bosom down to the earth; she trembled, understanding for the first time...."
Some of our group felt is should have ended with the cowslips but others felt we would have been left hanging in a state of sadness for Lolly. Certainly Part Three takes on a different tone and style that perhaps led to the second, alternative, title for the book "The Loving Huntsman". Some of our group felt it 'dragged on a bit'.
As village dwellers ourselves we chuckled over the Midsomer Murders/Hot Fuzz style parody of the Great Mop village community that became Lolly's escape. Great Mop is somewhere in the Chiltern Hills - just far enough away from London to be mysterious, but just close enough to get to and enjoy rural life.
The characters are really well described:
Would we recommend this book? Yes it's a must read. We would all like to read more of Sylvia Townsend Warner.
Our next read is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and we will meet at 8pm in The Hundred of Ashendon on Thursday 21st November.
We had a wonderful discussion exploring a book we had all enjoyed reading.
First up let's mention the introduction. It is all too easy in the excitement of a new read to skip the intro and get stuck in. For this book the introduction by Sarah Walters adds real understanding of the author and the story of Lolly Willowes. So, those who took the time to read it encouraged those who did not to give it a go.
The story was written in 1926, and of its time. Lolly is a girl growing up in a quiet household, the sister of two brothers who transitions through being an eligible young lady, a 'spinster' aunt and eventually an 'almost' independent woman/witch.
We felt sad for Lolly but also for Edwardian society that allowed women, like Lolly, who found themselves single and, therefore, in need of family support.
Lolly's situation raises so many questions: Why could Lolly not have continued to live in the family home? Why did her brothers feel it was their responsibility to take Lolly on? Why did Lolly accept that?
Society decreed that the large family home be mothballed and Lolly must leave the house and gardens she loved and move to a poky room in the London home of her brother and his family. This was the social norm, this is what families did with their single sisters. Initially the plan is to introduce the eligible lady to eligible gentlemen. When that fails the spinster sister becomes the beloved spinster aunt and takes on the role of being useful to the lady of the household and unpaid childminder to the children. This was the case even for intelligent and well educated women of independent means. Worse still, for Lolly, her independent means are managed by her brother. The situation, with its controls and lack of privacy, is cruel. Lolly doesn't forgive this cruelty but she does move on.
The writing is beautifully vivid - the reader can picture where Lolly is and what she is thinking. In our discussion we delved into the book and reminded ourselves of favourite lines such as:
"London life was very full and exciting. There were the shops, processions of the Royal Family and of the unemployed...".
"He observed gloomily that daughters could be very expensive now that so much fuss was being made about the education of women."
"Herb gathering .... too useful .... she didn't want to be a white witch."
(Of cowslips)"She knelt down among them and laid her face close to their fragrance. The weight of all her unhappy years seemed for a moment to weigh her bosom down to the earth; she trembled, understanding for the first time...."
Some of our group felt is should have ended with the cowslips but others felt we would have been left hanging in a state of sadness for Lolly. Certainly Part Three takes on a different tone and style that perhaps led to the second, alternative, title for the book "The Loving Huntsman". Some of our group felt it 'dragged on a bit'.
As village dwellers ourselves we chuckled over the Midsomer Murders/Hot Fuzz style parody of the Great Mop village community that became Lolly's escape. Great Mop is somewhere in the Chiltern Hills - just far enough away from London to be mysterious, but just close enough to get to and enjoy rural life.
The characters are really well described:
- Caroline - a rather spooky, uptight and orderly sister-in-law.
- Henry - a controlling wimp of a brother who accumulates (Lolly wanted to sell the furniture but Henry had it locked up - was Lolly's lively and inquisitive mind locked up too?).
- Titus - the clingy, caring, too well meaning nephew.
Would we recommend this book? Yes it's a must read. We would all like to read more of Sylvia Townsend Warner.
Our next read is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and we will meet at 8pm in The Hundred of Ashendon on Thursday 21st November.
Wednesday 25 September 2019
Reading Choices for Autumn
As the colder nights close in we will need a warm-hearted book to read, with that in mind here are our choices for Autumn.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 26th September in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner and then choose our next book from the below.
The story of a remarkable coffee shop in the heart of Afghanistan, and the men and women who meet there — thrown together by circumstance, bonded by secrets, and united in an extraordinary friendship.
Sunny is a thirty-eight-year-old American whose pride and joy is the Kabul Coffee House where she brings hospitality to the expatriates, misfits, missionaries, and mercenaries who stroll through its doors.
Working alongside Sunny is the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban. Their customers include Isabel, a British journalist; Jack, a consultant from Michegan; Candace, a wealthy and well-connected American; Yazmina, a young Afghan kidnapped from a remote village.
As this group of men and women discover that there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they’ll form an unlikely friendship that will change not only their own lives but the lives of an entire country.
A memoir of the author’s friendship with an elderly gentleman who was the father of one of her long time friends. Isabel meets Edward shortly after the death of his beloved wife, Paula, who he was married to for sixty-nine years.
Isabel is invited to dinner at Edwards apartment at the behest of his daughter who is afraid that her father is giving up on life despite his promise to Paula that he would make the effort to keep going for the sake of their two daughters, Valerie and Laura. Valerie tells Isabel, ‘He’s a great cook’. Perhaps it is this, or the fact that Isabel’s own marriage is unravelling. Whatever the reason, she agrees to the arrangement. It is the start of a mutually valued friendship.
Each chapter opens with the menu for dinner. Isabel and Edward usually meet, alone or with other friends of Edward, over a delicious meal that he has put much thought, time and effort into creating.
Unlovely and unloved, Pecola prays each night for blue eyes like those of her privileged white schoolfellows. At once intimate and expansive, unsparing in its truth-telling, The Bluest Eye shows how the past savagely defines the present.
A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterised her writing.
(Toni Morrison, died aged 88, on 6th August 2019. She was the only African American writer and one of the few women to have received the Nobel prize for literature.)
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 26th September in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner and then choose our next book from the below.
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
The story of a remarkable coffee shop in the heart of Afghanistan, and the men and women who meet there — thrown together by circumstance, bonded by secrets, and united in an extraordinary friendship.
Sunny is a thirty-eight-year-old American whose pride and joy is the Kabul Coffee House where she brings hospitality to the expatriates, misfits, missionaries, and mercenaries who stroll through its doors.
Working alongside Sunny is the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban. Their customers include Isabel, a British journalist; Jack, a consultant from Michegan; Candace, a wealthy and well-connected American; Yazmina, a young Afghan kidnapped from a remote village.
As this group of men and women discover that there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they’ll form an unlikely friendship that will change not only their own lives but the lives of an entire country.
Dinner with Edward by Isabel Vincent
A memoir of the author’s friendship with an elderly gentleman who was the father of one of her long time friends. Isabel meets Edward shortly after the death of his beloved wife, Paula, who he was married to for sixty-nine years. Isabel is invited to dinner at Edwards apartment at the behest of his daughter who is afraid that her father is giving up on life despite his promise to Paula that he would make the effort to keep going for the sake of their two daughters, Valerie and Laura. Valerie tells Isabel, ‘He’s a great cook’. Perhaps it is this, or the fact that Isabel’s own marriage is unravelling. Whatever the reason, she agrees to the arrangement. It is the start of a mutually valued friendship.
Each chapter opens with the menu for dinner. Isabel and Edward usually meet, alone or with other friends of Edward, over a delicious meal that he has put much thought, time and effort into creating.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Unlovely and unloved, Pecola prays each night for blue eyes like those of her privileged white schoolfellows. At once intimate and expansive, unsparing in its truth-telling, The Bluest Eye shows how the past savagely defines the present.A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterised her writing.
Friday 26 July 2019
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
We take the selection of books to choose from quite seriously and this was no exception. Sophie Law (BBC Radio Oxford) said she was enjoying reading it, so we checked the reviews: Sunday Times "an addictive debut ... A bright new talent", Observer: "It's a rare that a novel elicits such unmitigated awe from just about everyone you know, whether male, female, millennial or middle-aged". And then we checked the book store scores: Amazon 4.6 out of 5; Waterstones a whopping 5 out of 5.
This looked to be a great choice and a promising read.
So on a beautiful summers evening when 10 book group friends settled down in the pub garden, it felt a little awkward being one of the (at best) 0.4's. That is until we started the conversation!
The conversation started with round table first thoughts:
FOOTNOTE: We are not alone. Adam Mars-Jones review for The London Review of Books: "The blandness of Sally Rooney’s novels, last year’s Conversations with Friends and her new one, Normal People, begins and ends with those oddly non-committal titles." Sign-up to the website is required to continue reading the review - enough now I thought, and clicked X!
Oh and Goodreads 3954 reviewers average score is 3.8 of of 5.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 26th September in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner and then choose our next book. Looking forward to more enjoyable conversations with friends.
This looked to be a great choice and a promising read.
So on a beautiful summers evening when 10 book group friends settled down in the pub garden, it felt a little awkward being one of the (at best) 0.4's. That is until we started the conversation!
The conversation started with round table first thoughts:
- "Rubbish"
- "I couldn't be interested in these people"
- "Shallow - I couldn't engage with the characters"
- "Not even the sex scenes were engaging!"
- "Soul-less"
- "Things got introduced then fizzled out"
- "I couldn't care about the characters - nothing made me bother about them"
- "I think the author may be self-obsessed'"
- "NO SPEECHMARKS - how pretentious"
- "Phew - not just me then!"
That's about the long and short of it. Our entire book group, ranging from the highly intellectual to the (well) me, was not impressed. We were less than impressed. We were disappointed. We searched hard to try to see things from the reviewers points of view.
"She's prize winning" - "well she got a Booker Prize nomination"#
"Marian Keyes review is: "Fecken Brilliant" - "that's it?" - "she is Irish" (and then we got onto the subject of Marian Keyes) - "we read one of hers, we didn't like it much either" *
*STOP PRESS: the author of that one was Tracy Chevalier - let's put a Marian Keyes book on our Autumn choice! I expect it will F***ing Brilliant (well I am Kentish!).
"It's easy to read - quickly" "At least it wasn't a difficult to read bad book"
I quite liked the lack of speech marks, it was freer flowing, a stream of consciousness. (This is a comment and it's from our 'reader most positive' who scores the book 5.....out of 10.)
"My Grandmother was from Ballina" - BINGO! let's stop right here.
FOOTNOTE: We are not alone. Adam Mars-Jones review for The London Review of Books: "The blandness of Sally Rooney’s novels, last year’s Conversations with Friends and her new one, Normal People, begins and ends with those oddly non-committal titles." Sign-up to the website is required to continue reading the review - enough now I thought, and clicked X!
Oh and Goodreads 3954 reviewers average score is 3.8 of of 5.
# The Awards Facts:
British Book Award SUBMITTED 2018
Desmond Elliott Prize LONGLIST 2018
Folio Fiction/Poetry Awards SHORTLIST 2018
Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award SHORTLIST 2018
Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2017
The Dylan Thomas Prize SHORTLIST 2018
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 26th September in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner and then choose our next book. Looking forward to more enjoyable conversations with friends.
Monday 22 July 2019
Reading Choices for the Summer Break
We have a choice of four books for our next read - quite a diverse selection.
Winner of the Marco Polo Outstanding General Travel Themed Book of the Year at the 2018 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.
The story begins in a public square in New Delhi. On a cold December evening a young European woman of noble descent appears before an Indian street artist known locally as PK and asks him to paint her portrait - it is an encounter that will change their lives irrevocably.
PK was not born in the city. He grew up in a small remote village on the edge of the jungle in East India, and his childhood as an untouchable was one of crushing hardship. He was forced to sit outside the classroom during school, would watch classmates wash themselves if they came into contact with him, and had stones thrown at him when he approached the village temple. According to the priests, PK dirtied everything that was pure and holy. But had PK not been an untouchable, his life would have turned out very differently.
This is the remarkable true story of how love and courage led PK to overcome extreme poverty, caste prejudice and adversity - as well as a 7,000-mile adventure-filled journey across continents and cultures - to be with the woman he loved.
Brown Girl, Brownstones is the first novel by the internationally recognized writer Paule Marshall, published in 1959. It is about Barbadian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. The book gained widespread recognition after it was reprinted in 1981.
The somewhat autobiographical story describes the life of Barbadian immigrants in Brooklyn during the Great Depression and then in World War II.
The primary characters include Selina and Ina Boyce and their parents, who suffer from racism and extreme poverty. The book focuses most directly on the growth and development of the character Selina.
Paule Marshall's novel was among the first to portray the inner life of a young female African-American, as well as depicting the cross-cultural conflict between West Indians and American blacks. It remains a vibrant, compelling tale of self-discovery.
Lolly Willowes is a twenty-eight-year-old spinster when her adored father dies, leaving her dependent upon her brothers and their wives. After twenty years of self-effacement as a maiden aunt, she decides to break free and moves to a small Bedfordshire village. Here, happy and unfettered, she enjoys her new existence nagged only by the sense of a secret she has yet to discover. That secret - and her vocation - is witchcraft, and with her cat and a pact with the Devil, Lolly Willowes is finally free.
An instant success on its publication in 1926, LOLLY WILLOWES is Sylvia Townsend Warner's first and most magical novel. Deliciously wry and inviting, it was her piquant plea that single women find liberty and civility, a theme that would later be explored by Virginia Woolf in 'A Room of One's Own'.
In which the American humorist introduces us to his family, a group of people almost as eccentric as he is.
If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.
When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.
With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's writing has never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.
This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.
The Amazing Story of the Man Who Cycled from India to Europe for Love
Winner of the Marco Polo Outstanding General Travel Themed Book of the Year at the 2018 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.The story begins in a public square in New Delhi. On a cold December evening a young European woman of noble descent appears before an Indian street artist known locally as PK and asks him to paint her portrait - it is an encounter that will change their lives irrevocably.
PK was not born in the city. He grew up in a small remote village on the edge of the jungle in East India, and his childhood as an untouchable was one of crushing hardship. He was forced to sit outside the classroom during school, would watch classmates wash themselves if they came into contact with him, and had stones thrown at him when he approached the village temple. According to the priests, PK dirtied everything that was pure and holy. But had PK not been an untouchable, his life would have turned out very differently.
This is the remarkable true story of how love and courage led PK to overcome extreme poverty, caste prejudice and adversity - as well as a 7,000-mile adventure-filled journey across continents and cultures - to be with the woman he loved.
Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
Brown Girl, Brownstones is the first novel by the internationally recognized writer Paule Marshall, published in 1959. It is about Barbadian immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. The book gained widespread recognition after it was reprinted in 1981.The somewhat autobiographical story describes the life of Barbadian immigrants in Brooklyn during the Great Depression and then in World War II.
The primary characters include Selina and Ina Boyce and their parents, who suffer from racism and extreme poverty. The book focuses most directly on the growth and development of the character Selina.
Paule Marshall's novel was among the first to portray the inner life of a young female African-American, as well as depicting the cross-cultural conflict between West Indians and American blacks. It remains a vibrant, compelling tale of self-discovery.
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
An instant success on its publication in 1926, LOLLY WILLOWES is Sylvia Townsend Warner's first and most magical novel. Deliciously wry and inviting, it was her piquant plea that single women find liberty and civility, a theme that would later be explored by Virginia Woolf in 'A Room of One's Own'.
Calypso by David Sedaris
In which the American humorist introduces us to his family, a group of people almost as eccentric as he is.If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong.
When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself.
With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's writing has never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.
This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.
We will meet at 8pm on WEDNESDAY July 24th in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney and then choose our next book. Looking forward to seeing you then.
Monday 10 June 2019
Mythos by Stephen Fry
9 members of our group met to discuss the Greek Myths as retold by the actor, comedian, writer: Stephen Fry.
We were bowled over the by the sheer volume of stories. Not everyone had finished the book but we agreed it didn't matter as there was plenty to talk about without giving anything away. It is indeed a big read and with so much to take on the reader must travel back and forth within the book to keep on top of it all. The book itself helps with comprehension by offering a family tree of the Gods, and foot-notes that share useful information to supplement each story.
This is a really well written book but you need your wits about you to keep up with the pace and depth of coverage. Mr Fry is extremely graphic in his descriptions and holds little back so, as one of our group declared, this is "not a book to go to sleep on"!
There are a vast number of stories - far more than we imaged there would be - and this book does a really good job of explaining the links that each story has with others. It all fits neatly into place.
Myths of our own making were quashed: Zeus it turns out was not the first god and the Leander club did not choose to wear pink socks/tights on a whim! And, it seems that Gods are excellent multi-taskers with (as one member of our group was keen to warn potential readers about) quite varied and extreme sex lives.
Mythos also made us aware of how Greek mythology extends into our modern lives. For example Hermes, the god of trade, heraldry, merchants, commerce, roads, thieves, trickery, sports, travellers and athletes is used today as the brand name for one of the UK's largest parcel delivery companies.
These are stories that have withstood the test of time and have been taken on by so many as the basis for their own - including the Romans (who renamed many of the Greek Gods in their own myths) and Shakespeare who used their drama to develop his own.
There was so much we loved about the stories and it was hard to stop talking about everything we had discovered, enjoyed, been shocked or amazed by, laughed along or cried with. From herein the Greek Gods will be with us in spirit and mind as we stumble upon them. Thank you Stephen Fry for broadening our minds.
Our next book is Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and we will discuss this on WEDNESDAY 24th July at 8pm in The Hundred.
We were bowled over the by the sheer volume of stories. Not everyone had finished the book but we agreed it didn't matter as there was plenty to talk about without giving anything away. It is indeed a big read and with so much to take on the reader must travel back and forth within the book to keep on top of it all. The book itself helps with comprehension by offering a family tree of the Gods, and foot-notes that share useful information to supplement each story.
This is a really well written book but you need your wits about you to keep up with the pace and depth of coverage. Mr Fry is extremely graphic in his descriptions and holds little back so, as one of our group declared, this is "not a book to go to sleep on"!
There are a vast number of stories - far more than we imaged there would be - and this book does a really good job of explaining the links that each story has with others. It all fits neatly into place.
Myths of our own making were quashed: Zeus it turns out was not the first god and the Leander club did not choose to wear pink socks/tights on a whim! And, it seems that Gods are excellent multi-taskers with (as one member of our group was keen to warn potential readers about) quite varied and extreme sex lives.
Mythos also made us aware of how Greek mythology extends into our modern lives. For example Hermes, the god of trade, heraldry, merchants, commerce, roads, thieves, trickery, sports, travellers and athletes is used today as the brand name for one of the UK's largest parcel delivery companies.
These are stories that have withstood the test of time and have been taken on by so many as the basis for their own - including the Romans (who renamed many of the Greek Gods in their own myths) and Shakespeare who used their drama to develop his own.
There was so much we loved about the stories and it was hard to stop talking about everything we had discovered, enjoyed, been shocked or amazed by, laughed along or cried with. From herein the Greek Gods will be with us in spirit and mind as we stumble upon them. Thank you Stephen Fry for broadening our minds.
Our next book is Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and we will discuss this on WEDNESDAY 24th July at 8pm in The Hundred.
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Reading Choices for May/June
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-known journalist who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Provence, beginning a complex ménage-à-quatre. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotion-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.
The Wildflowers by Harriet Evans
A gorgeous family saga, The Wildflowers by Harriet Evans is a wonderfully captivating story. Glamorous, glittering couple Tony and Althea Wilde spend long summers at The Bosky, their Dorset beach house, with their two children Ben and Cordelia, but everything changes when Mads arrives. A little girl who’s been neglected and abused, we see the Wilde family through her eyes as fractures begin to appear and Tony’s past catches up with him. A story filled with long-buried secrets, holiday memories and heartbreak, The Wildflowers is the perfect summer read and one that will leave you warm and glowing.The Things You Can See Only When YOu Slow Down by Haemin Sunim
The world moves fast, but that doesn't mean we have to. In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the United States, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest and relationships, in a beautiful book combining his teachings with calming full-colour illustrations. Haemin Sunim's simple messages - which he first wrote when he responded to requests for advice on social media - speak directly to the anxieties that have become part of modern life and remind us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down.
Hugely popular in Korea, Haemin Sunim is a Zen meditation teacher whose teachings transcend religion, borders and ages. With insight and compassion drawn from a life full of change, the bestselling monk succeeds at encouraging all of us to notice that when you slow down, the world slows down with you.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 23rd May in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss our reading experiences with Mythos by Stephen Fry (and The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan if anyone has read this too) and then choose our next book. See you there.
Monday 25 March 2019
Gigi and The Cat by Collette
Six of our group enjoyed discussing these two short stories by Collette.
Coincidentally a film about Collette’s life was recently released and one of our group had found the time to go and see it and shared the story with us. This insight really helped us to gain an appreciation of the author. It seems that the story of Gigi, a girl of around 15 years old, has some parallels with Collette’s own life.
Gigi is being brought up by three single women (mother, grandmother and aunt – all of whom had lived or were living proudly hedonistic lifestyles). Gigi was being prepared for a career as a courtesan which required dignified etiquette to attract wealthy, powerful, or influential lovers. We were saddened by the intentions of the older women, and also the restrictions they placed on Gigi’s life. The story was, however a good social insight and even funny in places! Well-read members of our group felt the humour was similar to that in The Importance of Being Earnest (Comedy of Errors) by Oscar Wilde).
The story itself is hard to read, it didn’t flow and we suspect it was not as well translated as it could have been.
The second story - The Cat - was more readable than Gigi but not a pleasant read. It was easier than Gigi, to get involved in the story and it flowed better. The characters however are shallow and spoiled with, according to one of our group, ‘quite nauseating’ behaviours! The comings and goings of a ‘mummy’s boy’ and his fiancé were entertaining and one particular scene (on the balcony) was quite exceptional.
So, surprisingly, Ashendon Book Group read and discussed stories written by one of the most revered of French writers and didn’t really enjoy the experience.
We reflected on this for a while and our collective knowledge of other works by Collette was shared. We concluded that, at some time in the future, we should give Claudine (a series of 4 books) a try (either as independent readers or as a group).
But for now, here’s something different: our next read will be Mythos by Stephen Fry and we will meet on Thursday 23rd May at 8pm in The Hundred.
As we have a little longer than usual before our next get together, some of us will also read The Wisdom of Little Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan.
Coincidentally a film about Collette’s life was recently released and one of our group had found the time to go and see it and shared the story with us. This insight really helped us to gain an appreciation of the author. It seems that the story of Gigi, a girl of around 15 years old, has some parallels with Collette’s own life.
Gigi is being brought up by three single women (mother, grandmother and aunt – all of whom had lived or were living proudly hedonistic lifestyles). Gigi was being prepared for a career as a courtesan which required dignified etiquette to attract wealthy, powerful, or influential lovers. We were saddened by the intentions of the older women, and also the restrictions they placed on Gigi’s life. The story was, however a good social insight and even funny in places! Well-read members of our group felt the humour was similar to that in The Importance of Being Earnest (Comedy of Errors) by Oscar Wilde).
The story itself is hard to read, it didn’t flow and we suspect it was not as well translated as it could have been.
The second story - The Cat - was more readable than Gigi but not a pleasant read. It was easier than Gigi, to get involved in the story and it flowed better. The characters however are shallow and spoiled with, according to one of our group, ‘quite nauseating’ behaviours! The comings and goings of a ‘mummy’s boy’ and his fiancé were entertaining and one particular scene (on the balcony) was quite exceptional.
So, surprisingly, Ashendon Book Group read and discussed stories written by one of the most revered of French writers and didn’t really enjoy the experience.
We reflected on this for a while and our collective knowledge of other works by Collette was shared. We concluded that, at some time in the future, we should give Claudine (a series of 4 books) a try (either as independent readers or as a group).
But for now, here’s something different: our next read will be Mythos by Stephen Fry and we will meet on Thursday 23rd May at 8pm in The Hundred.
As we have a little longer than usual before our next get together, some of us will also read The Wisdom of Little Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan.
Monday 11 March 2019
Reading Choices for March/April 2019
Here are the book choices for our next read.
Ingrid Hoffmann has always felt responsible for her sister Margarete and when their family moves to German Southwest Africa in 1902, her anxieties only increase. The casual racism that pervades the German community, the strange relationship between her parents and Baron von Ketz, from whom they bought their land, and the tension with the local tribes all culminate in tragedy when Baron von Ketz is savagely murdered. Baroness von Ketz and their son, Emil, flee with the Hoffmanns as the Baron's attackers burn down the family's farm.
As they struggle with the return to Berlin, Ingrid's concerns about Margarete are assuaged when she and Emil von Ketz become engaged on the eve of the First World War. But Margarete disappears on her wedding night at the von Ketz's country house. The mystery of what happened to her sister haunts Ingrid, but the ensuing chaos of war destroys her hopes of solving the mystery.
After the war, in the midst of the revolution that brings down the Kaiser and wipes out the aristocracy that her family married into, Ingrid returns to the von Ketzes' crumbling estate determined to find out what really happened to her sister.
The Greek myths are the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney.
They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. In Stephen Fry's hands the stories of the titans and gods become a brilliantly entertaining account of ribaldry and revelry, warfare and worship, debauchery, love affairs and life lessons, slayings and suicides, triumphs and tragedies.
You'll fall in love with Zeus, marvel at the birth of Athena, wince at Cronus and Gaia's revenge on Ouranos, weep with King Midas and hunt with the beautiful and ferocious Artemis.
Thoroughly spellbinding, informative and moving, Stephen Fry's Mythos perfectly captures these stories for the modern age - in all their rich and deeply human relevance.
Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life has been forever changed by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum, and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's lido.
But a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent-girl turned magician's-wife turned seventy-something-roller-disco-fanatic, and the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 14th March in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss our reading experiences with Gigi and the Cat by Colette and then choose our next book. See you there.
The Other Hoffman Sister by Ben Fergusson
Ingrid Hoffmann has always felt responsible for her sister Margarete and when their family moves to German Southwest Africa in 1902, her anxieties only increase. The casual racism that pervades the German community, the strange relationship between her parents and Baron von Ketz, from whom they bought their land, and the tension with the local tribes all culminate in tragedy when Baron von Ketz is savagely murdered. Baroness von Ketz and their son, Emil, flee with the Hoffmanns as the Baron's attackers burn down the family's farm.As they struggle with the return to Berlin, Ingrid's concerns about Margarete are assuaged when she and Emil von Ketz become engaged on the eve of the First World War. But Margarete disappears on her wedding night at the von Ketz's country house. The mystery of what happened to her sister haunts Ingrid, but the ensuing chaos of war destroys her hopes of solving the mystery.
After the war, in the midst of the revolution that brings down the Kaiser and wipes out the aristocracy that her family married into, Ingrid returns to the von Ketzes' crumbling estate determined to find out what really happened to her sister.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
The Greek myths are the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney.They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. In Stephen Fry's hands the stories of the titans and gods become a brilliantly entertaining account of ribaldry and revelry, warfare and worship, debauchery, love affairs and life lessons, slayings and suicides, triumphs and tragedies.
You'll fall in love with Zeus, marvel at the birth of Athena, wince at Cronus and Gaia's revenge on Ouranos, weep with King Midas and hunt with the beautiful and ferocious Artemis.
Thoroughly spellbinding, informative and moving, Stephen Fry's Mythos perfectly captures these stories for the modern age - in all their rich and deeply human relevance.
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan
Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha's life has been forever changed by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds comfort in her faithful canine companion Haizum, and peace in the quiet lanes of her town's lido.But a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent-girl turned magician's-wife turned seventy-something-roller-disco-fanatic, and the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again.
We will meet at 8pm on Thursday 14th March in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss our reading experiences with Gigi and the Cat by Colette and then choose our next book. See you there.
Monday 28 January 2019
The Universe Versus Alex Woods
7 of our group met to discuss our latest read and we were all keen to get on with talking about our reading experience.
"I loved it - 5 Stars!" - we all agreed.
Ashendon Book Group in complete agreement with regard to the book is a rare occurrence, so it was a little worrying we might 'agree to agree' and have little to discuss. But no, the discussion was lively and flowed through the many different subjects, situations and experiences the author has so cleverly stitched together.
This is a truly brilliant read, that touches on some very serious subjects. It is as thought-provoking as it is hilarious. Wonderful characters and scenarios, with thoughtful explanation where necessary, create a story that illustrates the humour and sadness that comes with friends and relations. You never know what is going to happen next, nothing is predictable.
We did dwell on plausibility for a while - is Alex plausible? are the scenarios plausible? Some members of our group felt the author was trying to put himself into the shoes of a young person and, in so doing, made it hard to believe in that person. Others felt that, if one thinks about the capabilities of young people as e.g. young carers, then Alex's behaviour is highly plausible. We concluded that yes, this fascinating character could well have have found himself in the situations described.
The story is very visual and would make a great film - we are looking forward to the film should anyone choose to make it.
Would we recommend it? Well, yes!
Our next read is two stories in one book: Gigi and the Cat by Colette and we will discuss these at 8pm on Thursday 14th March in The Hundred of Ashendon.
Our next book choice coincides with the release of a a film focused on the life of the author: Colette. and perhaps some of our group will have the chance to see this film alongside the book.
Wednesday 9 January 2019
Reading Choices for January/February 2019
Happy New Year everyone. Another year will undoubtedly bring us another six fabulous reads! For 2019 let's continue with our shared joy of reading and our eclectic choice of books!
Gigi by Colette
Gigi is a short novella about a girl raised by courtesans to be a courtesan in the late 1890's, without ever realizing that that's what she's supposed to do. It's also one of those books where the movie based on it is famous enough that most people don't realize that there is a book. So I should note now that Maurice Chevalier's character was invented for the musical and doesn't exist in the book. Very sad, I know.Young Gilberte is growing older, but she sees no reason why things need to change because of this. Her grandmother and great-aunt Alicia on the other hand, are starting to get nervous, because she lacks "sense". Courtesans in their youth, they are worried that Gigi won't be able to attract the right kind of man. So they begin training her intensively. However, it's clear early on that Gigi doesn't think like they do, so when she accidentally attracts an wealthy family friend, will she be ready to take the plunge or will Gigi take matters into her own hands and break with tradition once and for all.
This extremely short novella is perfectly plotted, and an extremely fun read. Highly recommended for everyone who loves a good story. Even if you never liked the musical.
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall-Smith
The story revolves around the comings and goings at No. 44 Scotland Street, a fictitious building in a real street in Edinburgh. Immediately recognisable are the Edinburgh chartered surveyor, stalwart of the Conservative Association, who dreams of membership of Scotland's most exclusive golf club. We have the pushy Stockbridge mother, and her prodigiously talented five-year-old son, who is making good progress with the saxophone and with his Italian. Then there is Domenica Macdonald who is that type of Edinburgh lady who sees herself as a citizen of a broader intellectual world.
In McCall Smith's hands such characters retain charm and novelty, simultaneously arousing both mirth and empathy. 44 Scotland Street is vintage McCall Smith, tackling issues of trust and honesty, snobbery and hypocrisy, love and loss, but all with great lightness of touch. Clever, elegant and funny, this is a novel that provides huge entertainment but which is underpinned by the moral dilemmas of everyday life and the characters' struggles to resolve them.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Okonowo is the greatest warrior alive. His fame has spread like a bushfire in West Africa and he is one of the most powerful men of his clan. But he also has a fiery temper. Determined not to be like his father, he refuses to show weakness to anyone - even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists.
When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan, Okonowo takes violent action. Will the great man's dangerous pride eventually destroy him?
We will choose our next book at our meeting at 8pm on Thursday 17th January 2019, at The Hundred when we will discuss our current read: The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence.
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